My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 372 The Secret of the Valley

"Going into the mountains? And they want us to be their guides? Did they say where they're going?"

As soon as Wang Wenchao said that, Chen Ling knew who he was and that the place he was going to was definitely not close.

Unlike Lao Zhou's crew, who only stayed on the periphery, whenever they hired a guide, they were definitely planning to go deep into the mountains for several days.

"They didn't say that, they just said they were going to the mountains for a trip."

Wang Wenchao felt that the money was quite good, and Chen Ling often went to the mountains and liked hunting, so he was sure he would be willing to make money while having fun, so he came to him.

Chen Ling said he couldn't leave recently because he had to sell fish soon and would be busy at home for a couple of days. He then asked, "Among these people, is there the guy who came to our village to fry dough sticks last year?"

"Uncle Fugui, you mean..."

Wang Wenchao was stunned. He had heard the rumors in the village that some villagers had tried to steal from Li Hongqi last year, but Li Hongqi had escaped in the end. They didn't get to find any treasure or teach him a lesson.

It created a climate of fear and unease among every household. People would immediately think of tomb raiding whenever they saw a badger's den, and they would assume that anyone coming out to burn incense at night was a tomb raider. It caused a great deal of harm.

"Yes, it's very likely that it's this group of people. A few days ago, the Party Secretary came to me and said that some people from out of town were asking about the Turtle King and the professor's trip into the mountains last year. Maybe they came because of that."

After Wang Laishun spoke, Chen Ling thought about it himself in his spare time these past few days, and felt that apart from the attraction of the old turtle in the reservoir, the only other thing that attracted this group of people was the miasma valley in the mountains.

Perhaps that strange place will make them think there's treasure there.

"Should we still go?"

Wang Wenchao was too young and felt that these people had ill intentions, so he didn't want to pay them any attention.

Chen Ling laughed upon hearing this, "Why can't we go? It's a matter of paying, so we should go. You should also call on the old hunters from Jinmen Village, bring a few more guns and dogs, and we won't have to worry about them having any bad intentions once we're in the mountains."

"Hey, that's true. Uncle Fugui, you're quick-witted."

Wang Wenchao clapped his hands, feeling that this deal was worthwhile. He had been a guide several times before, so he was quite familiar with the job. With Chen Ling's words, he felt very reassured.

Before leaving, he told Chen Ling to report to him if anything happened.

Chen Ling was both amused and exasperated. "I don't want to get involved in this. What do I have to report to you?"

Shaking his head, he decided not to think about it anymore and went back to prepare the offal, planning to have offal hot pot for dinner.

Then they sent the cow's blood to the village, giving half to their father-in-law so they could use it when cooking for people that evening.

The cow's blood is very fresh, still with cow hair on it. Although there isn't much, it still needs to be cleaned carefully.

Chen Ling helped tidy up a bit, then went back to feed and water the chickens and ducks that had just been put into the duck shed.

After a bumpy journey, Chen Ling decided to feed them first to calm them down before letting them out to forage for food in the ditches and mountains with the chickens and ducks at home.

In addition, the chickens and ducks bought from various farms, as well as those bought by villagers from the market, were all on the truck. Chen Ling was worried that they might be sick, so he mixed them with his own diluted spiritual water and medicinal herbs, along with wheat bran, to cure diseases if they were sick and strengthen the body if they were not, as a kind of preventative measure.

Wheat bran, old spinach, and some large-leafed wild grass were chopped and mixed into a paste, which was an excellent delicacy for these chickens and ducks that were used to eating feed.

Having endured a bumpy journey and arrived in an unfamiliar environment, she was quite afraid of Chen Ling, a complete stranger.

But after not eating for half a day, their stomachs were growling with hunger. Soon, a bold duck came forward and scooped up a mouthful of the paste with its beak.

One bite, and then there's no stopping you.

Seeing how much the bold ducks were enjoying their food, even the timid ones couldn't resist joining in and cautiously taking a bite.

With one taking the lead, the remaining timid chickens and ducks quickly grew bolder, and before long, the stone troughs were filled with chickens and ducks.

For the first time in their lives, these chickens and ducks tasted such delicious food. They went absolutely crazy, squawking and squawking as they crowded together, jumping and leaping, their feathers flying everywhere, all in an effort to get a little more.

The lively and noisy scene brought a smile to Chen Ling's face. The little blue horse that was grazing by the river heard the commotion and, not wanting to be left out, wagged its tail and snorted as it trotted over.

He moved closer to Chen Ling and stood with him, watching the lively scene of chickens and ducks fighting for food.

This little blue horse is very curious, always eager to join in the fun, and whenever anyone comes to the farm, it will peek out from the livestock shed to take a look.

Wang Susu kept saying that it was learning from the little white calf and would also be able to guard the house in the future.

Chen Ling said, "If only this little blue horse were half as well-behaved as the little white ox."

Although this horse has become intelligent, it doesn't follow the right path; it's very mischievous and often causes trouble.

Biting clothes and spitting are common occurrences.

Sometimes it would suddenly peek its head out from the livestock shed, its lips moving rapidly, scaring the little children who came to play on the farm.

Xiaosen and Xizi were both frightened to tears. Afterwards, Xiaoqingma was given a good scolding by Chen Ling, but he still didn't change his ways. If he wasn't disciplined for three days, he would relapse into his old ways.

Seeing it standing next to Chen Ling, wagging its tail and kicking its four hooves incessantly, showing off its big white teeth, it seemed to be laughing at the chickens and ducks fighting for food.

Wang Susu walked over with her son in her arms and laughed, "No wonder people say you train a horse like a dog. Look at how it shakes its head and wags its tail, it's just like a dog."

"What? This horse is just young and likes to play."

Chen Ling refused to admit that he had trained the horse like a dog. Besides, the little blue horse was less than three years old and was indeed still a foal. Its previous owner hadn't taken good care of it, so it was bound to let its nature run wild when it came to his home.

It's normal for someone to be lively.

"Alright, alright, it's because it's young. You stay here and watch the house. I'm going back to the village. There are always a lot of people coming to the pharmacy in the afternoon."

Wang Susu glanced at the little blue horse and thought that although it was quite intelligent, it was still far inferior to the little white ox. It had a bad temper and often caused trouble for people, so it was not popular in the village.

The village elders and children all avoid him when they see him.

"Okay, go ahead. Tell your parents not to eat in the village tonight, but to come to the farm and we'll have beef offal hot pot."

"understood."

Wang Susu took the child back to the village, and Chen Ling went up the mountain to check on the beehives. He then had Xiao Jin lead the dog and the fox to drive all the chickens and ducks in the orchard.

Then they released the newly bought chickens and ducks from the duck shed, letting them integrate into the group.

Since the chickens and ducks we bought were all hens and ducks, they wouldn't fight once they were in the flock. Even though the chickens and ducks at Chen Ling Farm were rather wild, they wouldn't cause any trouble because of the dogs watching over them.

The clucking and squawking of chickens and ducks mingled together. A little while later, a small white calf grazing at the foot of the mountain in the distance heard the commotion and slowly approached with a group of black and white goats, bleating softly. The scene was becoming increasingly lively.

Chen Ling watched as a large group of poultry and livestock surrounded him, foraging for food. A bunch of puppies and foxes ran around, busy watching over them.

Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

He then took out his slingshot and, while following the large group like a shepherd, took out mud pellets and fired them at the birds that flew up and landed in the orchard.

Heading east from the farm, all the way to the edge of the orchard, the mountain road to the north and the dirt road in the fields to the south are already in sight.

Just then, several people came staggering towards them from the dirt road. When they saw Chen Ling, they all looked surprised, and then burst into laughter: "Goodness, Fugui, what are you doing? Are you holding a mobilization meeting for the members of your farm?"

It was Wang Jusheng who brought Zhou Weijun and the other two. They were the only ones in the village who were idle all day long, with nothing to do.

As they approached, their voices and laughter startled the foxes at Chen Ling's feet, and several fiery red figures darted into the grass and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my god, that scared me! What was that thing that darted past?"

Yu Qi'an stumbled, his face contorted in an exaggerated expression, clutching his chest and yelling.

He hadn't noticed what was happening at Chen Ling's feet, and he was genuinely startled.

Wang Jusheng and his two companions walked slowly and didn't see anything. But when they saw Yu Qi'an looking like this, they quickly walked up to him and looked around.

"Fugui, have you gotten yourself into something again?"

"No, it's just a fox, the one you saw last time."

"Foxes? Goodness, now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed them last time. You dare let foxes roam around this farm, with chickens and ducks free-range all day long? Aren't you afraid they'll get eaten by foxes?"

"Don't worry, that fox is very sensible. Besides, there are dogs watching over it, and there are plenty of birds living in my orchard. How could they possibly go hungry?"

Chen Ling briefly told them about the foxes, which made Yu Qi'an envious and wish he could catch a couple of foxes to raise.

The others weren't interested in that; instead, they all focused their attention on Chen Ling's chickens and ducks.

“I heard people say this morning that Fugui went to the market to buy chickens and ducks again. Now that I see them, the difference between the chickens and ducks you bought and the ones you used to raise is immediately obvious.”

Wang Jusheng, with his hands behind his back, clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "Look at these chickens! Each one of yours is worth two of other people's. This one is bigger than a nine-pound yellow chicken! Its tail is so fat, like a gourd. The hens are so plump too. They look delicious. They'll definitely taste great stewed..."

Indeed, the difference was immediately apparent when the newly purchased chickens and ducks were placed next to Chen Ling's original chickens and ducks. Chen Ling's chickens and ducks were taller and stronger, and were more than half again as big as the new ones.

Each chicken alone is comparable to a nine-pound yellow chicken. Before the New Year, when Chen Ling slaughtered chickens, after killing and cleaning the hens, they still weighed over six pounds. Not to mention the roosters.

"Don't just talk about chickens and ducks. The eggs and duck eggs from Fugui's family are bigger and taste better than others. If you ask me, they're losing out on prices by selling them in the countryside. They should have been selling their salted eggs in the city a long time ago."

Ma Wei said with a smile.

A couple of days ago, they helped Chen Ling move salted eggs. They had seen the size of those chicken and duck eggs before, and had eaten them many times at Chen Ling's house. They had eaten both salted eggs and regular chicken eggs, so they knew what they tasted like.

Don't you think it's a waste to sell these chickens, ducks, and geese in the countryside? The prices are so much lower.

“When I was collecting antiques, I knew someone who went to the mountains to collect eggs and sell them in the city. He fell off his bicycle twice on the way, breaking countless eggs, but he still managed to sell them in the city. Not only did he not lose money, he actually made a little profit. This shows the difference in prices.”

Ma Wei told the story with a smile: "Later, this person invited me to go into aquaculture together, saying that we would open a farm together and raise 30,000 ducks. If each duck egg sold for 50 cents, that would be 15,000 yuan. If it sold for one yuan, that would be 30,000 yuan. I wouldn't have to worry about anything; I just had to invest money."

"You agreed?" Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng looked over at the same time when they heard this.

"Of course I agreed. Just think about it, even if each duck lays one egg every two days, that's 30,000 ducks. Selling them for 15,000 a day would be like making a fortune."

Is it really that profitable?

"Make money my ass. This bastard knew I had some spare cash and deliberately ripped me off. After taking 30,000 yuan, he even made it sound so convincing and invited me to visit his farm. But a few days later, he just disappeared."

Ma Wei pursed his lips, which made Yu Qi'an and Zhou Weijun laugh.

They certainly knew about this.

Yu Qi'an then said, "If Fu Gui raises 30,000 of these chickens and ducks, making a fortune every day will be no problem at all."

"Of course it's possible, but it's not suitable for us. Whether it's Fugui and Jusheng, or you, me, and Lao Ma, we're all the type to be hands-off managers. If we hand it over to someone else, they'll just take advantage of us."

Zhou Weijun's words made everyone burst into laughter.

His judgment was quite accurate.

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled: "Old Zhou is right. At most, I can only raise 500 chickens and 500 ducks. That's the most I can manage. If you asked me to build a farm and raise 30,000 to 50,000 chickens, and spend all day busy in that place, I couldn't stand it. I also don't trust people to hire. Why bother with that all the time?"

He wants to raise chickens and ducks well, and water and food are indispensable. You could say that even if he builds a chicken farm, he still can't do without them. This is not like raising or transporting fish, where you can just add some medicine and get by. As the scale increases, more coordination is needed. These things involve his secrets, so he definitely has to do them personally. In the end, he won't make much money, so why bother?

It would be better to sell alcohol.

While the five were chatting and laughing in the orchard, another group of people came over. It was a young man from the village who wanted to borrow a gun from Chen Ling. He said they had to go into the mountains soon, and although time was tight, going into the mountains at night wouldn't be of any good.

But those people said they would give them more money, and this time Liu Guangli from Kinmen Village was also invited to go together. Everyone had guns and dogs, so they weren't afraid of anything.

Chen Ling knew that some of these young people were about to get married, while others had personality issues. In short, they didn't go out to work with the rest of the group this year, but besides farming, they still needed to find something to make money.

They certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity, so without further ado, they went back and gave them the gun.

After they left, Chen Ling, not knowing where they had entered the mountains from, said to Ma Wei, "Old Ma, let me ask you something. There's a valley in these mountains that's said to have miasma. Aren't you quite knowledgeable about antiques and artifacts? Do you think it's possible that something special caused this kind of place?"

"What is that? A valley filled with miasma? What kind of miasma?"

Ma Wei was stunned when he heard this, and Zhou Weijun and the other man were also a little confused. What was this miasma? They had never heard of it before.

"Is it the kind of miasma that's mentioned in many history books and classical Chinese biographies, the kind that's prevalent in the south?"

After Chen Ling explained the miasma and the situation in the mountains to them, they finally understood.

"I don't know, but I've heard quite a few stories like that..."

Ma Wei shook his head and pondered, "If you're saying those people rushed into the valley, it must be because they thought it was some kind of ancient tomb and believed there was treasure buried there."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Well, speaking of which, it doesn't seem like it's entirely wrong to force something like miasma onto ancient tomb ruins."

(End of this chapter)